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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26913259">Aru'e</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironhoshi/pseuds/ironhoshi'>ironhoshi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Author may have a weakness for Bounty Hunters and Jedi, BD-1 Is The Best (Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order), Boba Fett doesn't know what is going on, Cal Kestis Needs a Hug, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Something, I accidentally hurtled straight towards a ship, Jedi are emotionally tired, Kesett, M/M, Mandalorian Competency Kink, Moments of feeling too much, Mutual pining like idiots, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rating bumped up because these idiots can fit so much trauma in them, Sad Memories, Serious Talks, Slow Burn, Y'all have to deal with Kesett now, anxiety and panic, talks of war</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:34:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,818</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26913259</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironhoshi/pseuds/ironhoshi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“No, I don’t get paid enough for that.” The kid turns on his heel and walks right out of the room, clearly practiced at brushing customers off. What tips that kid gets must have been based on looks alone. Though there are probably plenty of people out there who would tip heavily to listen to that sass, Boba was certainly tempted. He wanted that durasteel bite used against him again. The curtain was still clattering loudly after his exit and Boba found he was left feeling slightly confused. The infliction, the way he had made that remark, it drummed up memories he had thought had shoved deep down into the abyss of his mind. Forgotten on purpose. He began to stew in silence while he waited for his food and drink to arrive. The meeting with the waiter playing over and over in his head like some holonet show. </p><p>What had he missed? </p><p>What hadn’t he noticed?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Boba Fett/Cal Kestis, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>111</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>530</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>the peasant's guide to fine reading</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>What is one more WIP? </p><p>Boba and Cal are close in age and it got me thinking that they could have run into each other at some point.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He wasn’t worried about getting attacked in this dive, no, he honestly felt most comfortable in places like this. They thrived on chaos and the gears that made them work were all the same- money. The currency could be credits, it could be something else, but it didn’t matter in the end. Cantinas like this one kept him busy. Places like this kept him paid and also kept him fed. </p><p>He pushed aside the beaded current that was acting like a door to a private room and gave the space a quick once over. Cleaning was clearly not the first thought of the droids that took care of the space. Dust, grime, even something that looked like dried blood speckled the area. There was nasty history etched into the walls. He made a face inside his helmet before moving to sit down at the table. This wasn’t the filthiest place he had ever eaten, he’d make do. The barkeep said someone would be with him soon to take an order, which was fine by him. He was starving and needed a drink.</p><p>He was, also, still annoyed his last hunt had ended so soon. </p><p>Boba reached up and carefully undid the seal on his helmet since he wasn’t worried about a random di’kut bursting in on this space. Plus, it wasn’t like he was following some strict code. It didn’t matter if anyone saw him without the helmet, he just liked these private rooms because he got fed up with dealing with stupid people while he was trying to eat. He was just pulling it all the way off his head when someone pushed through the curtain. Beads rattled loudly and a faint chirp of a droid caught his attention. The droid wasn’t odd, it was the fact it was riding on the back of a pale, skinny kid that didn’t look much younger than him that gave him pause. His brows knit together when he realized the kid was looking down at a datapad that had clearly seen better days. The electronic device was turning red with age, almost the same color as the kid’s hair. He leaned back in his seat as he studied his waiter. There was a scar on his face, stretching from the bridge of his nose and across one cheek before vanishing into his hair. Boba knew that type of scar, the ones that left angry, shiny welts in the flesh. The kid had taken a kriffing blaster bolt to the face and was still standing. </p><p>“Ma said you wanted to order something,” the voice was mellow and almost cautious. How had this kid become a waiter in a place like this? As if sensing Boba thinking about him, he looked up and froze. </p><p>Pale flesh somehow went even paler and Boba could have sworn he heard a word uttered.</p><p>Except he had to have misheard.</p><p>There was no way some womp rat he didn’t know had said <i><b>vod. </b></i></p><p>A tension seemed to swirl around the room, brushing up against them both like some demanding tooka, and then the droid said something about a trash compactor and no one would ever know. Boba could feel his eyebrows rising up towards his hairline as he continued to stare. That was extremely violent for a droid, but that isn’t what shocked him most. No, it is the way the kid softened slightly and simply smirked. There was durasteel in that smirk, a promise of violence unlike any he has seen since the purge.</p><p>A flash of energy, a hum of a blade. </p><p>Danger.</p><p>“Are you going to order a drink or not,” the kid says with faint impatience as if they both hadn’t frozen while he had some internal mini-crisis. </p><p>“Give me something stiff,” he finds himself saying as his gaze trails to the droid, who is somehow glaring daggers at him without having real eyes. The droid is small enough he could easily just punt it across the room, but somehow still seems to be exuding a protective aura around the kid. “And a nerf steak.”</p><p>“You’ll regret that, but whatever, man.” The kid taps something into the datapad and the droid suggests adding on a glass of hyperdrive fuel. Boba is impressed that the corner of the kid’s mouth only twitches. </p><p>“Do I get a name,” he asks because he can’t help himself. </p><p>“No, I don’t get paid enough for that.” The kid turns on his heel and walks right out of the room, clearly practiced at brushing customers off. What tips that kid gets must have been based on looks alone. Though there are probably plenty of people out there who would tip heavily to listen to that sass, Boba was certainly tempted. He wanted that durasteel bite used against him again. The curtain was still clattering loudly after his exit and Boba found he was left feeling slightly confused. The inflection, the way he had made that remark, it drummed up memories he had thought had shoved deep down into the abyss of his mind. Forgotten on purpose. He began to stew in silence while he waited for his food and drink to arrive. The meeting with the waiter playing over and over in his head like some holonet show. </p><p>What had he missed? </p><p>What hadn’t he noticed? </p><p>He slowly unclipped his blaster and set it on the table, off to the side just slightly. There is no guarantee the kid will bring the food, might pawn it off on someone else, but if he does then Boba wants to show he doesn’t exactly mean harm. He carefully peels his gauntlets off, one gloved finger at a time, and places them carefully over the blaster. He has other weapons on his person, as all good bounty hunters should, and wonders for a brief second if the kid is also carrying weapons. </p><p>He slouched down in his seat and glowered at the beaded curtain. He had meant to call a contact while in this room, but now he can’t keep his eyes off the doorway. </p><p>
  <b>
    <i>Vod.</i>
  </b>
</p><p>That is a word he hasn’t heard in years. He could still picture the concerned look of the larger vod’e when he tumbled through yet another air vent cover. They had all been careful around him, but had still treated him like he belonged. Buir had never been cruel to them, just indifferent, and then the jetii had arrived. Everything had quickly unraveled after that and some part of Boba was still angry about how his world had been so thoroughly obliterated because of the jetiise. Kenobi hadn’t quite been the reason, and he knew that, but he still seethed with mild rage as he thought about Mace Windu. The man was dead, as were pretty much all the jettise, but he still wished he had the chance to punch the dead man in the face. He had stolen buir from him and the vod’e. Everything had just gone horribly wrong after he watched the great Jango Fett decapitated right in front of him. </p><p>His nail bit at a scratch in the table while he continued to wait. </p><p>The sound of the droid talking bounced into the room first and then the curtain shifted as the kid stepped through again. He walked straight over to the table and slammed a glass of some sickly colored booze down on the table. Boba found he liked his attitude. </p><p>“Poison,” he managed to keep most of the amusement out of his voice and the kid snorted hard. </p><p>“No. Drink it slow or you’ll go blind. ...or choke on it, I don’t care.” Boba made a point of picking up the glass and draining half as he watched the kid. Another snort, but with an eye roll, and then the kid was leaving. His throat burned, fire settled inside his chest, and he tightened his grip on the cup. </p><p>That shit was vile. </p><p>Boba pulled his comm out and quickly tapped out a code. Contact later. Not safe. </p><p>A moment later and a response came.</p><p>
  <i>Understood.</i>
</p><p>He knew he had people to answer to, to give jobs to without the Guild interfering, but he couldn't be karked to care at the moment. The syndicate would wait. When he raised the glass to his lips again he made sure to take a smaller sip. The stuff was strong and he could see how drinking a large quantity would have some severe side effects. The flavor was a bit like coolant and he found himself wondering if the kid had actually given him the stuff. The color, thankfully, was the wrong color. </p><p>He sat in relative silence while he waited for the other to reappear. At this point, he didn’t even care about the nerf steak. He wanted to interrogate the kid. He wanted to know why that reaction had happened. </p><p>Boba wanted to know why the other had said vod.</p><p>What was the connection?</p><p>The stench of a burnt nerf steak announced the next arrival of his waiter. He didn’t even blink as the plate was dropped hard on the table in front of him. The gelatinous meat bounced and Boba suddenly understood why the kid had said he would regret the order. The nerf steak was riddled with far too much fat and was damn near blackened. The meat looked like it had been cooked with a flamethrower, which meant the cook was horrible at their job. His lips peeled back from his teeth in annoyance as he stared at the plate as if it had given him grave insult. Haran, even the side vegetables looked like they had just been scooped out of the trash. The whole thing was killing his appetite and he had to wonder why anyone ordered food here. </p><p>Still, he would eat it. One didn’t waste food, not when they didn’t know when their next meal would be.</p><p>“Did you make this,” he asked as he cast a look at the kid, eyes narrowed assessingly. </p><p>“Hardly. I’m not allowed in the kitchen, except to wash dishes.” </p><p>Well, that was a small relief. </p><p>The kid turned away, most likely to go wait on someone else, and Boba moved before he could think. His arm shot out, knocking into his gauntlets, and snagged the kid’s wrist. One of the pieces of armor started to tip over the edge of the table and the droid began a sort of high-pitched sound. The kid, for his part, only twisted to catch the thing before it could land on the questionably clean ground. Then, it happened, Boba felt his eyes go wide as the kid got the strangest look in his eyes. He had seen that before and he tightened his grip on the wrist. Not a sound of protest was made and he knew it was because the kid wasn’t with him anymore. </p><p>He was in an echo. </p><p>Karking jetii magick.</p><p>Quinlan Vos had gotten that same stupid look when he was overtaken by something powerful. He almost felt a spark of pity for whatever had trapped the redhead, but a part of him figured he got what he deserved. He shouldn’t have reached for the gauntlet if he knew there was a risk. Boba frowned as he stared, the kid was wearing a glove on his other hand, but clearly should have been wearing gloves on both hands. The droid called him some fascinating names and he couldn’t help wondering where he had learned those words. Some of those words were Outer Rim insults and some even he didn’t know.</p><p>“Easy,” he bit out before using his free hand to dig in a belt pouch. “I’m not going to turn him in.” The droid chirped uncertainly before threatening bodily harm just as Boba struck. He pressed a hypo needle right into the kid’s neck. The unfocused eyes rolled back and he jumped fully out of his seat without a second to spare. The kid collapsed into his arms, the gauntlet still clutched in a hand, and the droid seemed to tremble. </p><p>“Yeah, I didn’t think this through,” he informed the tiny mechanical creature. The droid made a rude sound before bumping his head against the side of the kid’s face. “This place isn’t karking safe for either of you. Why would you let him do something so reckless?” The sharp sounds from the droid, oh BD-1, how rude of him not to know the name before hand, were not kind and informed Boba that he couldn’t always get the kid to do smart things. They had needed credits. His lips twitched. “Sorry, I won’t insult your caretaking skills again.”</p><p>BD-1 made a rather smug sound before inquiring what was about to happen now.</p><p>“...get him back to the ship and I guess figure it out after that.”</p><p>Boba manhandled the kid into a seat before going about putting all his armor back on. The blaster was secured back in the holster, clipped neatly in place, and he frowned inside his bucket while staring at the jetii he had just drugged. What the kriff had he just done? BD-1 was humming faintly, some sort of lullaby as far as he could tell, and he was struck with the sudden predicament he was in. How was he supposed to get the waiter back to his ship? Just carry him out? </p><p>Kriff, he really hadn’t thought any of this through. </p><p>“If I pick him up, are you going to hurt me,” he asked the droid. A faint reassurance was all he needed before he moved to place an arm underneath the back of the kid’s knees and an arm across his back. This was seriously going to slow him down if he had to fight anyone. The scowl growing on his face didn’t lessen any when BD jumped onto the kid’s chest, hunkering down like some sort of guardian. </p><p>“Back door?”</p><p>BD chirped in agreement and projected a very thorough map of the cantina. Boba was impressed, even while he was thinking to himself the kid didn’t weigh enough. Picking him up had been far too easy. </p><p>“Why are you helping me steal your friend,” Boba glanced down at the droid and watched the map vanish from the edges of his vision. Silence carried for a moment before BD said he had a feeling. Feeling, Boba snorted hard, what was with it jetiise and feelings? Why had the droid adopted that dumb statement? They sure hadn’t felt the purge coming. None of them had and the vod’e- He shifted his grip slightly before pushing his way out of the room. No one glanced their way and he walked as quickly as he dared without making noise. A door to a hallway sprang openly easily and he picked up his pace. He’d need to remember to send credits later, to pay for the meal he very much hadn’t eaten. </p><p>“We get to the ship,” he told BD, “And then we hit atmo. How likely is he to attack when he wakes up?”</p><p>BD took far too much glee in informing him that his human would rip his limbs from his body. </p><p>His jetii was a whirlwind of pain against any who stood in their way.</p><p>Great.</p><p>Just karking great.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And there you have the beginning! Feel free to stop by and say hi on my tumblr, I like it when people say hi.</p><p>https://ironhoshi.tumblr.com/</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>His money was on the kid telling him to get karked. He would have told himself to get karked, to be honest, after that blunder.</p><p>"Twelve. I was twelve when they…" The words just stop and the jetii is staring at something unknown. Not one of those vision things, no, some memory. Boba gets it. He can still see the day everything went wrong when he lets his emotions get the better of him. A purple blade, a scream, the last of the aliit that wanted him left dead. The jettise hadn’t even tried to help him and simmering hate had infested him for years, but that feeling wasn’t present while talking to this particular jetii. Boba was confused and the galaxy started to ooze more colors than before.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A thousand years later I update this! I was struggling slightly, but I managed to finally get punched in the face with more creativity regarding this story. If you are reading this? Thank you for coming back to read this.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The only good jetii was a dead jetii his buir had told him. A young Boba had nodded along with all the seriousness he could muster when his buir said stuff like that, but now he couldn't help thinking his buir might have liked the one he had stolen. That thought alone made his brain skip a few thoughts and his hand just sort of ended up hovering over the button he had wanted to press. </p><p>Oh kark...</p><p>He stole a jetii. </p><p>He had stolen a jetii. </p><p>Buir had to be screaming in the afterlife.</p><p>Boba may have been slightly having a moment when he realized just what an astronomical mistake he had just made. Who stole a jetii in this day and age? No, scratch that. Who stole a jetii and didn't claim the bounty? BD sure didn't seem against the idea of being stolen or rather, at least, the droid seemed to be content with the current situation. BD was getting on his nerves, something that took a decent amount of effort and he couldn't help thinking he should have just let them both take their chance in the galaxy. They had clearly made it this far. He tried to push BD off his ship controls and got an earful of insults. What had the jetii been teaching this thing?</p><p>"Yeah, well, your creator is a shabuir-," a hiss of pain escaped him as BD took the chance to zap his exposed wrist while he reached for a button. "Hey! Go pester your karking jetii while I get us attached to this asteroid, you pile of- ...BD." The droid let out a string of words that would have made weaker warriors blush. "Who taught you to talk like that? No way that kid did." BD hummed something before suddenly hunkering down, a low sound escaping him as if he had just been caught red-handed. Boba tensed and wasn't at all surprised when something cold and hard was pressed up against his throat, below his ear. Should have left his helmet on, <i>definitely</i> should have left his helmet on. His buir had to be tossing in his grave at the stupid mistake. Boba knew jetii were dangerous, even the little ones. He did, actually, appreciate that it wasn't one of those laser swords at his throat. The jetii had enough smarts to know using a weapon like that in a small space like this would be highly problematic for everyone.</p><p>Small miracles or whatever that saying was.</p><p>"I think you need to explain why I am missing out on earning my wages tonight," his jetii's voice demanded and BD trilled a faint warning. He cast a look towards the tiny droid, weighed his odds, and decided he had a chance. His arms came up as he twisted free of his seat, hands wrenching roughly around the wrist of his attacker.</p><p>"Set the locks so we don't detach from the rock," he growled as he grappled with the redhead. BD waited a moment before making a show of using one of its feet to press the button. Dramatic piece of junk, he was definitely going to space the thing later. The sound of the ship groaned around them and Boba took the momentary distraction to twist the wrist harder so fingers released the weapon. A second hand lashed out, moving to catch the now falling- was that a kriffing spanner wrench? The kid was certainly resourceful and he had no doubt that the tool could be utilized as a deadly weapon in those quick hands. He deflected a blow towards his head, annoyance simmering under his flesh, then managed to land a kick to the kid's knee. A grunt of pain and a faint stumble. Boba grinned, a mistake; and found his back slamming into the doorframe of the cockpit as the kid actually had the nerve to tackle him by throwing his body into his abdomen.</p><p>-<i>The lights were scorching through the air in far more color than he had ever seen so up close before. Each person moved like they were partaking in some sort of dance, frantic and fluid, steps he didn’t understand. A dance that would end with someone dead if they put a foot in just the wrong place. Kamino had been the same sterile hues over and over, but what was below him was brilliant. Greens, blues, purple, mixed in with other colors while the very ground seemed to shift in shades of gold.</i></p><p>
  <i>The galaxy was dripping in color now inside his mind.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>His fingers tightened around the railing while he strained to see the fight better. His gaze focused on the jettise. The clones had been made for the jettise and in that moment he didn't understand why. Sure seemed like they could fight on their own. They moved with a grace he wanted to emulate, wanted to parrot while his buir shook his head affectionately. He wanted to meet the people his buir hated for one simple selfish reason; they were beautiful.</i>
</p><p><i>Boba was entranced with the warriors that had destroyed his people.</i>-</p><p>Boba returned the favor as BD shrieked at them both. Bounty hunter and jetii crashed into the hallway. The fight that followed was brutal and painful. No actual weapons were pulled, but when they both ended up sitting at the common area table the injuries were obvious on both of them. The kid looked less than thrilled while pressing a frozen bantha steak to the side of his face and Boba was trying not to smirk. Smirking would cause the split in his lip to grow bigger. </p><p>"Ready to be civil yet," he couldn't help sounding patronizing and the kid tensed. The glare was impressive and he barely had a warning before his salt container came zipping towards him with the aid of that space wizardry. Boba caught it easily enough while BD inquired about how they both were doing. He set the container back down on the table as if this was perfectly normal.</p><p>"I'm fine, buddy," the jetii softened slightly, even cracking an actual smile for the droid. Kriff, he could see the youth in that smile. There was no way the jetii was older than him. </p><p>"How old were you," Boba blurted out while shifting in his seat. His ribs on his left side really hurt. Later, after they talked, he was going to have do a quick scan to make sure nothing was broken.</p><p>"What?" The look he got was confused, which was fair, he had finished that question in his head instead of voicing out the rest. That sometimes happened. He thought faster than he managed to vocalize and often found it easier to just not say much at all instead of dealing with conversational backtracking. Well, that and people always seemed so terrified when a bounty hunter showed up that didn't say much. Boba embraces the terrifying easily most days, but he wasn't actually looking to seem terrifying at the moment. "I mean during the purge." The room suddenly felt colder and Boba winced. BD called him yet another name, letting him know he was a real di’kut. He waited for the kid to attack again, to lash out, but he found himself surprised when the redhead just sort of deflated. Oh, yeah, BD was right, he had just stepped in it big time. Both Boba and the droid cast a look towards each other when the jetii finally cleared his throat, a sign he was going to speak. His money was on the kid telling him to get karked. He would have told himself to get karked, to be honest, after that blunder.</p><p>"Twelve. I was twelve when they…" The words just stop and the jetii is staring at something unknown. Not one of those vision things, no, some memory. Boba gets it. He can still see the day everything went wrong when he lets his emotions get the better of him. A purple blade, a scream, the last of the aliit that wanted him left dead. The jettise hadn’t even tried to help him and simmering hate had infested him for years, but that feeling wasn’t present while talking to this particular jetii. Boba was confused and the galaxy started to ooze more colors than before.</p><p>"You were a kid!”</p><p>"...I wasn't. I was a part of the war. I was a Commander, there was no room to be a kid." He could hear the clear pain and something broke inside of him. Boba was actually angry on behalf of the jetii. He had ignored that his vode were child soldiers, it hurt less when they were slaughtered, but he hadn't even thought about how many children fought for the jettise. Padawans. They had been called padawans. Now they were just called corpses. </p><p>His buir really had karked over the whole galaxy, hadn’t he?</p><p>Clones had looked like young adults, not like some twelve-year-old that had to face the horrors of war. When had the pale face jetii even got that nasty scar on his face? During the war? After? Why did it matter? Why was he getting upset about this?</p><p>"Boba." The kid blinked and raised his good eyebrow in question. "I'm Boba."</p><p>BD glanced between them before hopping off the table to make itself comfortable in the jetii's lap like some sort of tooka, an action that made Boba stare in mild confusion. That droid was by far the most expressive one Boba had ever encountered in his life. The personality was impressive. A faint purr like sound escaped the droid, which seemed to ease something in his guest, and further cemented that the droid was part tooka.</p><p>"Cal," the other finally offered up. "And it seems you've already won BD over." Boba's lips twitched with a smile, but he stopped himself as pain started to blossom from the mere action. Resplitting his lip wouldn't be fun. "So, going to sell me? Haxion Brood or the Empire, either will pay heavily for me alive." BD grew oddly silent for a moment, waiting just like Cal for the answer to that awful question.</p><p>"Not today. Ask me again tomorrow," Boba settled on saying and enjoyed the flush of annoyance that graced Cal's face. </p><p>"That isn't helpful at all," Cal snapped and BD agreed loudly. </p><p>"Yeah, well, I'm a bounty hunter and you aren't my bounty yet. So ask me tomorrow. I'll see how I feel then." He finally moved from his seat, grunting mildly with discomfort, and walked over to his small kitchenette. If he remembered right there was a bottle hidden behind some mismatched mugs in the cupboard. He dug through the cupboard and felt faint smugness when his fingers brushed a glass bottle. He hadn’t forgotten. Boba retrieved his bounty and headed back to the table. When he sat down this time it was closer to Cal while he used his teeth to yank the stopper free from the drink. Strong fumes gave him pause, but he spat the stopper onto the table anyway. He took a large swig of the alcohol, embracing the burning sensation that coiled down his throat, and held the bottle out to Cal. The kid frowned, glancing from the bottle to Boba’s face, clearly looking for some sort of trap. </p><p>“It isn’t poisoned,” Boba smirked and shook the bottle so the liquid sloshed loudly inside. “It is brandy.” It felt like cycles passed before Cal finally reached out with his gloved hand to grab the bottle. Clear distrust danced across the pale face, but the kid still brought the bottle up to his lips. Boba was honestly impressed that he kept eye contact while drinking and his opinion of the jetii only grew when he didn’t spit the aged brandy out. Cal did seem to blanch faintly, clearly not big on drinking, but didn’t complain, no, he simply handed the bottle back over to Boba. He made a face and lowered the frozen bantha steak down towards the table, exposing the growing bruise.</p><p>“I don’t get it.” </p><p>Boba just shrugged, not caring about what the jetii did or didn't get, and took another swig of the brandy.</p><div class="center">
  <p>°</p>
</div>Cal did ask the next morning and the one after that, but Boba just kept giving the same answer- ask me again tomorrow. The whole thing was confusing, but BD didn’t seem too worried. BD thought they should just see how this all played out, but Cal felt like he was going stir crazy in the ship. The bounty hunter let him wander, didn’t even lock up any weapons, and insisted they ate meals together. <p>The whole thing made no sense. </p><p>Nothing made sense.</p><p>Boba looked like the 13th- his Iron Battalion, even sounded a shade like they did in his memory, but not once had he tried to kill him. Boba acted like he had always been on this ship, acted like they knew each other, and it was painful. Cal looked at Boba and the war came crashing back down around him. </p><p><i>”Hey, vod, you are trembling something hard. Another nightmare? Maybe you should come sit with us-”</i> He jerked hard, chin slipping off his hand, and had a moment of feeling like he was falling. Reality slammed back into him and he let a faint curse escape his lips. Cere would have given him an unimpressed look for that language. Boba merely glanced at him from the pilot’s seat, looking away from whatever he was doing for a moment. Damn, he had fallen asleep in the cockpit again. BD hummed a sound of concern before turning back to stare at whatever Boba was doing. </p><p>They were up to something.</p><p>“Why didn’t you wake me up,” Cal grumbled while trying to stretch his back out while not standing up.</p><p>“BD said you don’t sleep much,” Boba replied in a distracted tone. “Figured you need whatever you get, Cal.” </p><p>“Of course he did,” he slouched down in his seat, moving some to put his feet up on the dashboard. He didn’t get why they were still on this ship or why two out of the three occupants were acting like this was somehow normal. His crew, his family, had to be worrying back on the Mantis, and yet BD hadn’t once tried to hack the comms as far as he could tell. </p><p>“Bingo,” Boba suddenly cried out. “The perfect job for us!” </p><p>Cal blinked, rolling his head slightly on the back of the copilot’s seat, and stared at Boba and BD. “What?” </p><p>“We have a bounty, kid.”</p><p>Cal’s jaw twitched. Boba was close to his age from what he could tell and yet the other kept insisting on calling him kid. That was probably another reason he was having so many dreams about the vode. “You know I’m not a bounty hunter, right? Scrapper. Fugitive. Not bounty hunter. Bounty, yes."</p><p>“Too bad, gotta earn your keep. I have a spare kit you can use, cover that pretty face of yours so we don’t draw extra attention.” </p><p>He had a bad feeling about this.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Cal is going on one heck of a trip, whether he wants to or not. What is Boba thinking?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“That’s a job I can get behind. So what? After this, you finally going to collect the bounty on my head?”</p><p>Boba snorted, clearly amused, and he turned towards him while switching the datapad off. “Ask me again tomorrow, kid.”</p><p>One of these times he was going to knock the word ‘kid’ right out of Boba’s arresting mouth.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A dash of oof, a dash of someone needs a hug, and a dash of angst.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Things were not going at all how he had thought they would when he had been kidnapped by a bounty hunter.</p><p>A job.</p><p>They had a job.</p><p>Thankfully, he mused, the helmet in his hands looked nothing like the ones the Iron Battalion wore. The design was extremely more bounty hunter than uniformed and it drummed up old stories he had heard of Mandalorians as a youngling. Stories told in whispers under blankets while trying not to be heard by the creche master. The helmet was tugging at something in those memories, but he could handle that faint feeling. Cal, however, wasn’t sure he would have been able to handle wearing a helmet like the vode had, not while his head was still reeling from the fact Boba was taking him on a job. He flexed his fingers, annoyed at how he wore a matching pair of gloves that felt just a little too tight. They were a perfect fit, he knew, but he was looking for a reason to be annoyed. His old Master would have told him to be patient and find peace, the way they pulled faintly when he flexed just happened to be what he was focusing on. Peace, he hadn't really had true peace in years. Merrin would never have forced him to wear something like this, but he could hardly tell Boba that since he didn’t know the Nightsister. The gloves had been smacked down in front of him while he had been trying to wake up, cup of caf untouched at the time, and he had only stared like an idiot caught in a tractor beam. The gloves were to stop him from going into a bout of that space wizardry again supposedly, Boba had said so with such authority that Cal hadn’t even been able to argue. </p><p>Space wizardry. Boba had such a weird term for the Force, but Cal found he didn’t hate the phrase.</p><p>Cal Kestis, Space Wizard. Merrin would probably actually find that amusing. </p><p>‘What do you think,” he asked BD. “Should we take a moment to contact the Mantis when we land wherever we are going?” BD hummed faintly and then suggested he just ask Boba to use the long range communicator. His brows knit together for a moment as he thought that over. The bounty hunter probably would let him which was what bothered him. Boba made no sense whatsoever and BD simply thought they should just carry on as they thought. He sighed, rested the helmet against his hip, and headed back to the cargo hold where the bounty hunter was waiting.</p><p>“What’s the job,” he asked as a way of greeting. Boba glanced up from the datapad he was playing with and flashed him a smile. His footsteps faltered faintly and he furrowed his brows together. Why did he look so pleased to see him? BD muttered something about someone chugging way too much caf. Cal couldn't quite stop the way his lips curled into an amused smirk. </p><p>“We are going to hit a slave transport. Goal is to hit their way station, where they hold their cargo before shipping them out.” Boba was clearly ignoring BD's remark or simply hadn't heard the words. His credits were on ignoring. </p><p>“Great.” BD whistled softly. They both took the stance that slavery was wrong, beyond wrong. Cal stopped himself from tugging the glove up higher over his Guild mark. The mark had given him protection, but had also chained him to Bracca. The Scrapper Guild had paid him, but those credits were promptly turned around and spent with Guild. His rent, his food, his supplies- never enough to save up and leave. In everything but title he had been essentially a slave. The job he had been given was beyond dangerous and he hadn't been expected to live long, none of them were. Scrap Rats were replaceable to the Empire. <i>Prauf-</i> Cal winced as he stopped that line of thinking. “That’s a job I can get behind. So what? After this, you finally going to collect the bounty on my head?”</p><p>Boba snorted, clearly amused, and he turned towards him while switching the datapad off. “Ask me again tomorrow, kid.”</p><p>One of these times he was going to knock the word ‘kid’ right out of Boba’s arresting mouth.</p><p>“Funny,” Cal shot back before slamming the helmet on his head. The dampening feeling was a bit unsettling and he had a moment of feeling like his heart rate was picking up rapidly. </p><p>
  <i>The walls were rattling. They were going to break atmo-</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Run. Hide.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Trust only in the Force.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>HOLD THE LINE, PADAWAN!</i>
</p><p>
  <i>There he is! Shoot the traitor-</i>
</p><p>“Cal,” Boba’s voice cut through his thoughts and he blinked hard. “You here with me?”</p><p>“...yeah. Sorry. Bad memory.” His voice cracked, BD suggested they put some music on. That sounded nice, but he doubted the helmet was going to just start playing loud enough music to drown out his thoughts. </p><p>“More of that space wizardry stuff? Also...music?”</p><p>“No. Not more space wizardry.” He shifted on his feet while he tried to decide what to tell Boba. BD nudged the side of his helmet, showing his support. “The music just helps me.”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>°</p>
</div>The siren's wail hadn't stopped once after having been ripped into life by Cal crashing straight through the skylight, and it gave a sort of messed up backdrop to the violence. Boba had only been able to watch as the jetii slipped into a brutal dance. Feet had barely touched the ground before color erupted. He was pretty sure he knew how to breathe, having done so his whole life, but he couldn't quite get his lungs to behave.<p>The stars were weeping orange in his mind.</p><p>The slavers didn't stand a chance. Boba realized, finally, that he was lucky Cal hadn't decided to turn that skill on him. An involuntary wince escaped him as his jetii yanked someone towards him with space wizardry. That wasn't what caused the wince, no, it was the fact Cal had no problem utilizing a helmet as a weapon. The headbutt had to have broken something in the slaver's face. The scream erupting from the large man only helped point to a broken skull. </p><p>Boba was karked.</p><p>He was going to win his jetii over no matter what.</p><p>He gave a sharp tug of his blade and the wires severed cleanly. "Cameras finally down," he informed Cal over the comms. Silence met him, but glancing over the edge of the ruined skylight he could tell the other listened. An arm was raised, hilt of the laser sword there, and he could only watch as one side erupted with a brilliant pink that reminded him of flowers he had seen during one of his hunts. Delicate, deadly, <i>perfect.</i> His heart stopped when the other side sprang to life to the match the first. Color streaked through the air and he knew if he blinked he would miss the whole thing. Brilliance struck into corruption, the screams barely left each person cut down. The walls seemed to gain blazing molten lines, which would really give away the fact a jetii was around, but he doubted the Empire was going to investigate this. Cal was dancing that dance, the one the haunted Boba's dreams. He was gorgeous. “Kid,” he finally snapped over the comm when the last body fell. </p><p>“Stop calling me that,” the reply sounded distant, breathy, and Boba knew that was bad news. Well, kriff. He shoved his knife back into his sheath before jumping off the ledge he was on, leaving the wire panel open behind him. BD was muttering calming words, but they didn’t seem to be working. Cal’s arm was trembling as he turned his lightsaber off. Boba let out a sigh of relief when the color vanished. </p><p>“Cal, be here with me,” he ordered. The visor swung towards him and the very air seemed to crackle with annoyance. “You did the galaxy a favor, but we still need to deal with the collars.”</p><p>“I’m fine.” BD contradicted him with a rude sound. The tremble slowed slightly, but not enough for Boba. Cal was grappling with something. “They- It is fine.” Words were halty, jarring even. They felt monochrome against his mind. Boba stepped over bodies before he came to a stop in front of his jetii. His head tipped back slightly as Cal seemed to glance down at him judging from the angle of the visor. The height difference struck him as annoying in that moment, but that was shoved aside as he tried to figure out how to ground the kid. </p><p>“You aren’t fine,” he said dryly before surging up onto the toes of his boots, arm lashing out to grab the side of Cal’s buy’ce just before he slammed their foreheads together. A metallic clang filled the space that was followed by a faint sound of surprise sliding past his ears. Cal finally moved to reclip his lightsaber, but the second his hands were free he grabbed Boba’s wrists. </p><p>“I’m not your vod,” the jetii bit out. </p><p>Boba snorted hard, far harder than he meant. The noise was distorted by the modulator and sounded strange to his ears. “Didn’t say you were. Don’t want you to be,” the words left him on accident and he was hardly surprised when silence followed. Cal's hands tightened a fraction then the jetii was whirling away. Always in motion, always dripping colors only Boba could see. Right, he straightened his back, they were here for a job. </p><p>"BD." The droid swiveled to look at him. "Slice." The rude confirmation he got before the small demon droid did as ordered had him smiling beneath his helmet. He tried not to watch as Cal knelt down in the middle of the carnage and did that meditation thing he had seen others do in ages past. Distant memories tried to resurface along with old hurts. Traveling with Cal was going to be a tad more complicated then he had planned, but thankfully he relished a challenge. His brows knit together as he just watched the tension seem to slack in his jetii's posture.</p><p>"What are you doing," he asked before he could stop himself. Cal tilted his head slightly, the alarm lights causing his visor to glint erratically and Boba had the impression there were blue eyes glinting underneath, dangerously at him. Kark. Boba shifted on his feet and settled on crossing his arms over his chest. He wanted to see whatever unneeded look was on that face, his fingers twitching with the urge to yank the bucket off the kid. He wanted to see the anger in Cal's face.</p><p>"They were horrible people," Cal finally said. "But…"</p><p>Oh. <i>Oh.</i></p><p>Boba sighed loudly. "They don't deserve your forgiveness! They are slavers, monsters, you did the galaxy a favor!" Cal's helmet fully tipped upward, but not a word escaped him. "Come on. Let's go free slaves." </p><p>They freed them all, placing them on liberated Slaver ships to go where they wanted. Boba was only here to end the ring, but he could tell Cal wanted to do more. The jetii's posture screamed that fact loudly. He understood, but they had done their job. The galaxy was a cruel place and it wasn't his job to fix it, no, it was his job to make credits and stay alive. He practically had to drag Cal back onto their own ship, stopping the di'kut from going the extra parsec for the freed people. They'd find their way, they didn't need his jetii. He palmed the control to slam the door shut in the cockpit and turned to face his silent companion. Boba yanked his helmet off while BD hopped onto the controls, already playing with buttons. His bucket fell from his fingers before he was reaching out to help Cal remove his. He wasn't sure why, but it felt like there was suddenly a racing rancor in his chest. He fumbled for a second and a faint sound escaped the jetii. He flashed a tense smile and finally managed to remove the piece of armor. Red hair was tussled, some strands sticking to a glistening forehead, and those crystalline eyes were judging him.</p><p>"Are you okay," he asked while dropping the helmet next to his on the seat. A faint clunk attacked his hearing and he was already forgetting the helmets. His buir would have been so upset. </p><p>"I'm fine."</p><p>Boba knew a lie when he heard one so he merely motioned at BD. The droid whistled back and took control of getting the ship out of the waystation hangar. He brought both hands up to cup Cal's face and felt annoyance at the way the other tensed. Freaking jetii and their issues with attachment. </p><p>"You're a liar, kid," he retorted just before moving up onto his toes again. He pressed his forehead gently to Cal's and felt himself relax instantly. "But, you'll be fine." </p><p>"I slaughtered them-"</p><p>"No, you freed them. You're fine, you're with me, okay?"</p><p>Silence greeted him as Cal seemed to grapple with something, emotions peeking through on his face. Whatever was going inside that head couldn't be easy, he saw the signs of emotional fatigue clearly. Buir had always said if a soldier didn't rest and heal after a battle then they'd become entrenched in the emotional exhaustion. Had Cal ever taken the chance to heal? A jerky nod, that caused their foreheads to rub against each other, and Cal was breathing out slowly. "Yeah, okay, sure…"</p><p>Boba didn't believe his agreement for a second. </p><p>How was the person standing in front of him also the same person that had moved with deadly grace with a lightsaber? The Cal in front of him seemed like he needed a cup of hoth chocolate and a hug. Boba blinked as an idea seemed to form in his mind. There were details to be ironed out, but he rather thought his idea would pay off in the end. He let their foreheads rest a moment more before he was shoving Cal gently towards the door. </p><p>"Go, sonic, rest. I have business to take care of."</p><p>He had a plan to set in motion and some credits to collect. The job here was done, they could relax for the moment.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I didn't set out for a ship, but it snuck up and smacked me over the head.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Something to say, jetii?"</p><p>Cal held his hands up in a placating gesture while shaking his head. It probably would have gone further to diffuse the tension if he hadn't been smirking while doing so. Annoyance snapped across the space.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>1000 years later and we have an update! I had some serious writer's block. I knew what I wanted to happen,  but I couldn't find the words.</p><p>This morning it finally hit me like a bag of oranges to the face.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It seemed one person on this ship was just going to pretend things were normal and that meant he had to play along for the time being. Cal needed to know what twisted game the other was playing, more so after freeing the slaves. Boba hadn't tried to sell them, just freed them, but he also hadn't done more. Cal didn't even know if they made it to a planet that would care once they escaped. They could just end up slaves again. The Empire's galaxy was cruel and villainy flourished like an invasive weed. </p><p>Was it Boba's place to do more? </p><p>Should they have done more?</p><p>Cal had spent so long just looking out for himself, hiding who and what he was, that he wasn't sure he could judge the bounty hunter. He knew he could have done more while growing up on Bracca, could have fought back, but he also knew that would have made his chances of surviving pretty much null. Cere was right. Cal had done what he needed to in order to survive. He was able to defend himself now and that meant he was done hiding. Now, well, the main issue was figuring out where he stood with the Boba. He was starting to think the other wasn’t actually ever going to cash in on the bounty on his head and he didn’t know how to feel about that.</p><p>What did Boba want?</p><p>What was the end goal?</p><p>"What," he asked when he realized he hadn't been listening to Boba explain the next job. His thoughts had been very distracting. </p><p>"Kriff, am I so boring that you have to meditate when I talk," Boba asked with mock hurt in his voice. Cal simply gave him an unimpressed look that he couldn't see. The other's attention was fully on the ship. "I said we need to go secure some tea."</p><p>"Tea," he repeated dumbly. "Our next job is to track down tea."</p><p>Boba didn't even look away from the course he was plotting, manually. That was something he still wasn't used to for some reason. "Not all bounties involve body counts." A loud snort escaped Cal before he could stop himself. That was clearly a bunch of bantha poodoo. BD agreed with his thoughts loudly and Boba actually shot them a glare. "Something to say, jetii?"</p><p>Cal held his hands up in a placating gesture while shaking his head. It probably would have gone further to diffuse the tension if he hadn't been smirking while doing so. Annoyance snapped across the space.</p><p>"Listen up, it is a retrieve and delivery job. We track the tea down and then we deliver said tea. No one is going to die on this job," Boba said with clear irritation.</p><p>"You say that now, but you can't tell the future," Cal countered before he could stop himself. </p><p>And yet, later, he mused that so far the job was shockingly calm. They had landed a distance from a settlement on some planet he didn't know and he had been forced to walk. The very ground beneath his feet seemed to thrum with energy, soft and comforting. Merrin would have been fascinated.</p><p>Bright colors and loud voices had BD glancing around at everything. The marketplace was vibrant with life. Cal grinned faintly under his scarf while he looked on at the serious lack of anything Empire. That smile dimmed as he realized at some point even that darkness would reach the brightness of this place. </p><p>How long until Imps destroyed the joy here?</p><p>"Kid," Boba's voice crackled to life over the comms. "We haven't got all day."</p><p>"Yeah, calm down. We are almost to the shop." Just how close was the bounty hunter if he knew he had been lollygagging? He didn't dare look over his shoulder, no, he just ducked into a crowd of people and let their momentum direct how fast he walked. He probably took longer than he should have to get to the plain looking shop, but he wasn't in a hurry for once. It was an odd feeling actually. He had been running from the moment Trilla showed up in his life, always looking over his shoulder, and now he felt like he could take a moment to just stop and admire life around him.</p><p>Strange. </p><p>He stepped into the shop and immediately had the strange thought that it reminded him of Cordova's workshop. He only knew the Jedi from holorecordings, but he still felt like the other would have enjoyed this place. Objects were lined up on shelves, things were resting in piles on the ground, and everything looked second hand. How many echos would he suffer if he accidentally touched something without the gloves on? Okay, so maybe Boba threatening to not let him off the ship until he wore both gloves had been wise. Not that Cal was ever going to tell Boba that, no, he didn't want to deal with the smug look on the bounty hunter's stupid face. </p><p>"I've got your back." Cal winced at the timing of Boba's statement. Right, time to find the first part of the bounty and then get out of there. The credit stick in his pocket gave him some tempting ideas of escaping. He could slip out the back, he could purchase a ride off this planet- No. He was curious why they were partaking in such a boring bounty and he wanted to see where it ended. </p><p>"Curiosity is going to get us killed, buddy," he informed BD and his friend merely trilled a soft agreement. BD did, however, toss in that at least they'd die learning something new. Cal snorted before actually focusing on his hunt. There were shelves upon shelves of just stuff, but eventually he found one with various canisters with faded labels. The small collection of mismatched tea sets above the canisters let him know he was at his target.</p><p>Ah, that one!</p><p>The tin rattled far louder than he thought possible, but it did manage to bring a faint smirk to his lips. BD whistled a faint question and Cal simply nodded. Yeah, this beat up tin with a faded label was what they were supposed to find. He didn't know why and he wasn't going to ask why they were ordered to buy tea. Boba was most likely just testing him, making sure he wasn't about to bolt. He knew the bounty hunter was hovering outside the shop. Waiting. Pacing. Boba was probably ready to catch him when he tried to run. He wasn't an idiot and someday, probably soon, Boba was going to collect on his bounty. </p><p>"Guess we should buy this and then maybe Boba will tell us why we had this particular errand." BD confirmed the idea before asking if they could pick up that battered music box too. Cal snorted, but snagged the thing despite knowing he'd have to repair it later.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>°</p>
</div>Sand, he decided, was worse than anything else he had encountered. His boots slipped every now and then, which only caused BD to make faint jokes at his expense. The heat combined with the sand was rubbing at his nerves and he was tempted to scold BD. BD wasn't the one walking, so why he was he cracking so many jokes? Boba had insisted that they had to walk to their end goal and they had started what felt like hours ago. Cal had to admit he was thankful for the helmet he was wearing, along with the gloves, but he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be thankful. The heat was pounding down on them like an oppressive wave.<p>"How much further," he asked over the private channel between their helmets. His footing slipped again and Boba fell back a step to help steady him. "I'm fine, but...thanks." </p><p>Sand really was the worst.</p><p>"You walk like a di'kut, I'm surprised you haven't fallen on your shebs yet," Boba said while sounding awfully amused. How could anyone manage to be amused on this awful planet? </p><p>"Excuse me for not normally having to walk on sand," he grumbled in reply. Boba laughed over the comms and simply took off walking again. Cal stared at the retreating back before making a rude face under his helmet. He knew Boba couldn't see his behavior, but he still froze when the other turned around suddenly. </p><p>"Pick up the pace, I can see the hovel now!" </p><p>Cal had to agree it really did look like a hovel when he got closer. The desert had stripped any color away from the building, if there had even been any to begin with, and left behind a pale husk. The sight was kind of depressing. He thought the building looked rather small and found himself eating that thought after the door sprang open. Boba had punched in some sort of code to get it open, but Cal had let BD watch while he focused on the strange feeling he was starting to have. Something familiar was just outside his reach, he thought, or the heat was finally making him delusional. He peered over Boba's shoulder and felt his eyes widen at the actually cozy room in front of him. There were clear staircases off to the sides leading downwards. That meant the building sprawled beneath their feet.</p><p>"Come on," Boba grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him inside. "I think Ben is downstairs. I told him we were coming so he shouldn't be out."</p><p>Ben? Who was Ben? </p><p>The door closed behind them and Boba paused to take off his helmet. Cal's eyebrows climbed towards his hairline in surprise and he could only stand there as Boba turned around to help him free himself of his own helmet. He shifted his gaze away from the smile on the other's face and felt his gaze land on a toy bantha sitting on the floor. The sight of it had him freezing, but it was the sudden impact into his shins that had him nearly fainting from surprise. There was a jolt in the Force. His mind sang for a moment. He blinked and glanced down at the upturned face of a youngling. </p><p>"Luke," a refined voice carried up the stairs. "What have I told you about rushing off like that?"</p><p>The youngling, Luke, merely tightened his arms around Cal's legs and grinned harder.</p><p>"Uh...hi?"</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>°</p>
</div>Boba felt like both jettise wanted to murder him for pulling a fast one. He had actually felt a little bad when Cal had paled at the sight of Kenobi. He had thought it would be a great surprise, that they'd be happy to know more jettise survived, but no. Ben had fixed him with one of those looks and pointed at the stairs without a word. Now they were sitting across from each other, a small table dividing them, and his jetii was sitting on the floor with Luke in his lap. Which, if Boba was being honest, was a good thing. The glares that kept getting leveled at him promised violence.<p>Cal was angry and Luke was keeping him distracted. For now.</p><p>Boba would apologize later, when everyone calmed down.</p><p>"You didn't say you were bringing a friend," Ben said softly while his lips turned down into a frown. Tatooine had aged the man further from what he could tell. New lines around those eyes and more silver was making its way into the once brilliant red hair. Ben's hair was becoming bleached and faded thanks to the harsh suns.</p><p>"Yeah, well, I don't tell you everything, old man." Boba glanced towards Cal and found himself smiling softly. Luke was doing his best to show off a toy and the jetii was finally looking more relaxed. "When is Cody coming back from his job? I have more of the medicine for him-" Oh, kark, he hadn't thought about what would happen if Cody showed up before he warned Cal. The kid clearly had history with the vod'e, what jetii didn't, and the result of the two meeting could go south fast. </p><p>"Probably not until tomorrow," came the reply. "Boba, when I gave you permission to come here I didn't mean bring-"</p><p>"I'm not leaving him here," he interrupted before meeting Ben's gaze. He saw the way the old man still controlled his emotions, trying to push down confusion behind a mask of indifference. "I just need you to talk to him for a bit. I don't know enough about your weird mind magick, but-"</p><p>"Boba," Ben said his name like he was pained before rubbing his forehead with a hand. "This is a bad idea."</p><p>Boba snorted. Wasn't everything always a bad idea with Obi-Wan Kenobi? "Look, we will leave before Cody gets back, if you want. Cal has a higher bounty on his head then you at this point, by the way."</p><p>"What?" Ben glanced towards Cal and Luke, who were both fixated on BD projecting a faint image of another planet, and frowned more. "He's just a child. No, no, that isn't right, is it? He was probably forced to grow up fast when...everything changed. It is remarkable he has survived so long, but what did he do to get such a bounty?"</p><p>"Dunno. Don't care. All I know is the Empire wants him alive. Haxion wants his head. Cal has drawn lots of attention lately. I picked him up on a backwater planet and, uh, have been taking him on jobs. Ben, just talk to him. I've never asked you for anything, but Cal needs to talk to someone that isn't me." Cal was always dripping in color, always brilliant, but Boba had noticed that some of the color looked like wounds. He wasn't sure what he was seeing, he just knew that Ben was someone that would understand. Ben would be able to help. His gaze traveled towards Cal and Luke again and he just sort of froze. Cal was smiling, unlike any smile he had seen before, and it lit the very air up with warm golds and oranges. Luke was staring up at his jetii with pure adoration and for a moment, one moment, he wished Cal would look at him like that. </p><p>He wanted to be the reason Cal smiled.</p><p>"Ah," Ben said suddenly in an amused voice. "I think I get it now. It seems falling for Jedi runs in the family, no?"</p><p>Boba turned and glared at the old man across from him. "I haven't-"</p><p>"Mm, so you say."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mwahahaha. Canon can get karked.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He shifted his grip slightly, lifting Luke a little further up on his hip. He had been carrying the boy long enough that his arms were starting to actually get a little tired. Any attempts at setting the boy down had not exactly gone over well and he found he couldn’t deny those large eyes when they got all watery. General Kenobi had merely snorted into his cup of tea after the first near crying fit.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>...I wrote a trope. I couldn't help it. Enjoy this somewhat fluffy chapter!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They were staying the night. Boba said it was because it was dangerous to travel at night and General Kenobi hadn't denied the claim. He didn’t know enough about Tatooine, but he did know most planets had hidden dangers. Fauna that hunted at night tended to be a new sort of challenge, one he didn’t want to take. With his luck, there’d be fire-spewing spiders that bled acidic ichor. There was also the issue of a certain youngling that clung to him like a bloodleech. The boy was determined to spend as much time with him as possible, something everyone else seemed to smirk faintly at for some reason.</p><p>He was stuck.</p><p>Cal was starting to think that Boba had planned this since they had both been carrying packs of supplies, besides the requested tea. Just how long were they staying? Boba had pulled a fast one and that left him annoyed. A lot of things the other did were actually annoying, but this one really took the prize. He decided that the next time Boba decided to call him Kid that he was going to make the bounty hunter eat ground. He could feel how hard he was clenching his jaw thanks to the current situation. An ache was growing in his temples while the back of his neck seemed to tense. He hadn't said a word yet about having General Kenobi being alive, but he was debating saying many words about this. A small hand tugged at his ear, almost as if trying to distract him, and he shifted his gaze from the problem towards the small youngling who had announced earlier that Cal was his new favorite person. Boba had muttered Cody was going to be upset, whoever Cody was. The name sounded oddly familiar, but more like a ghost of a memory than anything. </p><p>He didn't have time to worry about a name he might have once associated with someone.</p><p>He had a youngling to answer.</p><p>"Luke, I know you know how to talk," faint affection coated his words. He shifted his grip slightly, lifting Luke a little further up on his hip. He had been carrying the boy long enough that his arms were starting to actually get a little tired. Any attempts at setting the boy down had not exactly gone over well and he found he couldn’t deny those large eyes when they got all watery. General Kenobi had merely snorted into his cup of tea after the first near crying fit.</p><p>There would be no back up regarding young Luke for a bit.</p><p>"Faster to touch you," came the solemn reply. Luke pulled on the ear again to demonstrate. BD trilled in delight. BD, it seemed, already loved the small kid. </p><p>"What needs my attention so badly?" Luke blinked and seemed to think the answer over for a solid minute. Cal tried to bite back a smile, but the serious look was oddly cute. </p><p>"What'd the bed do?" </p><p>Cal felt his cheeks flush. Well, okay, it appeared his glare had been bad enough that even Luke had picked up on it. "Nothing, youngling, the bed did nothing." Luke studied his face for a moment before pointing towards the doorway. Cal got the message. He was to carry the kid wherever he wanted. Most likely back towards his father and hopefully a meal.</p><p>They did, indeed, have dinner together. The whole ordeal was both strange and made old feelings settle inside his chest. It felt good to be around the General, even if he was preoccupied with getting young Luke to actually clear his plate. So much had changed since the purge, but at least another Jedi had made it out alive and seemed to be doing alright. He wanted to tell Cere and he also didn't. If the General was hiding then it had to be for a good reason. He had the suspicion the reason was Luke and he was going to take that thought to his grave. </p><p>Dinner wrapped up too fast and he found himself staring at the cursed bed again. </p><p>The bed was giving him a headache.</p><p>“In my defense,” Boba retorted while suddenly finding the corner of the room fascinating. “I didn’t even think about the bed situation.” </p><p>Cal couldn’t help staring at him with clear disbelief on his face. He hadn’t thought about the bed situation? He should have known that the room he supposedly used whenever he stopped by only had one bed. Had Boba done this on purpose or had he really just not thought about the fact there was one stupid bed in the room? </p><p>“You can sleep on the floor then,” he said simply. He had to fight back a smirk when Boba’s gaze snapped back to him. Anger was blossoming inside those dark eyes.</p><p>“It is my room!”</p><p>In the end, they shared the bed.</p><p>Luke threw a faint fit about having to sleep in his own room, but Obi-Wan rescued them by ushering the boy off. Cal yanked his borrowed sleep shirt down and tried to make himself one with the wall. He wasn’t sure why he was on the inside, but he did mildly debate shoving Boba off the bed. The bounty hunter pressed an elbow into his spine and he let out a faint sound of annoyance. </p><p>“I’m over as far as I can get,” he finally snapped. </p><p>“You are still taking up too much of the bed,” came the angry response. </p><p>“Then sleep on the floor!” He would have said more, would have called Boba an idiot, but he froze as an arm was thrown across his waist. Cal froze, even stopped breathing for a moment, and focused on trying to fall into meditation. He’d simply just kill Boba in the morning and then apologize to the General. That thought bounced around his head while he actually found himself falling asleep.</p><p>He woke up broiling. He hadn’t felt this toasty in years and found he didn’t want to let the warmth go. Bracca had been cold, near freezing at night, and his bed on the Mantis wasn't much better. A Jedi learned to deal with discomfort, but sometimes it was nice to just enjoy not having to do so. His cheek was pressed up against something solid that was rumbling ever so slightly. His bed on the Mantis vibrated thanks to being so close to the hyperdrive, but it was nothing like this. Cal cracked his eyes open slowly and froze. </p><p>Kriff.</p><p>He was practically sleeping on top of Boba. </p><p>His cheek was pressed against Boba's chest. </p><p>This was bad.</p><p>“Are you awake now,” came the morning rough voice. Cal winced. “My arm is asleep, Kestis.”</p><p>“Sorry!” He tried to shove himself off Boba, tried to put much-needed distance between them. His elbow slammed into the wall loudly and he bit back a sound of pain. The jolt of feeling that shot through his arm took his breath away for a moment. This was not a fun situation. “This is why I didn’t want to share a bed.” BD chirped from his spot at the foot of the bed and suggested Cal actually shove Boba onto the ground. </p><p>“You’re the worst,” Boba snarled before kicking a foot towards the droid. Cal felt his face flare a new shade of crimson thanks to the sensation of Boba moving against him slightly. Right, only one solution. He shoved hard, putting his weight into the motion, and soon found himself tumbling into a now-empty portion of the bed. The forceful sound of a body hitting the floor filled the space. A moment of silence and then came the string of swear words and promises of violence. Cal collapsed into the bed, hiding his face, and wondered if he could just escape now. </p><p>He needed to get away from Boba Fett.</p><p>“Boys,” a voice called out from elsewhere in the home. “I need you to set the table for breakfast.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Someone caught feels and someone else is possibly catching feels...</p><p>One bed, what a classic, amirite?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Why couldn't Luke have demanded he take a nap with him? Why'd he only demand Cal? He leaned back slightly to try and look down the hall. A light smack to the side of his head had him swearing.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm, uh, updating from my phone at work &gt;.&gt;</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eating breakfast with more people around was strange. Not a bad strange, but not a good strange, it just was. Cal had shared meals with his crew, but this was somehow more intimate, like he was glancing in on a real family. He was just on the edge, like always, and he didn’t know how to quite insert himself. Actually, he didn’t even know if he should insert himself into the dynamic. </p><p>Maybe Cere was right? Maybe he was still adjusting to being around people?</p><p>He tried to focus on the porridge, but he spent most of his time watching Boba through his lashes. He hadn't known the bounty hunter long and he already knew the smile he was seeing was a rarity. Boba was practically glowing while talking with Obi-Wan. </p><p>"Cal," Luke demanded. He blinked and glanced down at the boy sitting in his lap. "More."</p><p>He set his spork back in the bowl before reaching out to grab more of the gooey nut mixture to place inside the porridge. The flavor had startled him at first, but it did marry well with the buttery flavor of the heavily cooked oats. </p><p>"Just one more spoonful," he told Luke in a conspiratorial tone. "We don't want to get yelled at for eating more sweets than anything." Luke kicked the underside of the table while grinning. General Kenobi wasn’t saying a word about him adding more of the sweet concoction to the porridge so he figured it was alright. A healthy spoonful was added before he stirred the mixture together. He barely finished mixing it in before Luke was already eating. The youngling had insisted they share a bowl and he hadn’t been able to say no.</p><p>A sound on the stairs had him glancing up from the sporkful of food Luke was holding out and he felt Boba tense up at once. His gaze jerked from the stairway in confusion. </p><p>"Osik," Boba breathed out. "I thought you said-"</p><p>"Clearly I was wrong," Obi-Wan said with mild annoyance. The cup of tea was set down as the man got up from the table, clearly going to greet whoever was appearing. The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs seemed to match up to his heartbeat. Hard, fast, loud. He felt off kilter, but not exactly afraid. </p><p>Something was going to happen-</p><p>"Cody," Obi-Wan said with such affection that Cal felt his cheeks flush. He fought to stop himself from looking at Boba and regretted that decision a mere moment later. The mysterious Cody appeared, taking off the style helmet Boba favored, and his mind went blank. </p><p>How-</p><p>He needed to run!</p><p>"Cal," the voice barely pulled him to the surface of shock. "Cal! Osik, kid, be here with me before I kriffing punch you-"</p><p>"Don't," Luke cried. "No hitting!"</p><p>"Padawan," that single word drove straight into his heart and he let out a painful gasp. Luke was twisting in his lap, trying to wrap slim arms around his neck, and all he could think about was the fact he needed to protect. His hand started to go for his lightsaber and he found the motion aborted. Boba was twisting their fingers together, stopping him. </p><p>"Boba-" </p><p>"He's my vod. He isn't going to hurt you! Please, trust me. Cody is one of us." The words were fast, pleading, and Cal jerked his gaze away from the clone that seemed rooted to the spot at the bottom of the stairs. "Cal, trust me."</p><p>"You kidnapped me." BD threw in a few remarks about the fist fight as well.</p><p>"Boba," Cody said in a scandalized voice. "You didn't!"</p><div class="center">
  <p>°</p>
</div>He was in so much trouble. The way both Kenobi and Cody were looking at him, well, he knew he was in for a tongue lashing. Why couldn't Luke have demanded he take a nap with him? Why'd he only demand Cal? He leaned back slightly to try and look down the hall. A light smack to the side of his head had him swearing. Cody was clearly in a mood.<p>He supposed, in Cody's defense, things had gotten a tad loud for a bit. Boba had practically had to restrain Cal from punching him. Luke had cried. Pain and fear had been present in his jetii's face while the colors around him darkened painfully. Cal was hurting. </p><p>Memories were twisting the present for the young jetii.</p><p>How did he help Cal?</p><p>Boba wanted to make Cal smile again.</p><p>Luke had been the one to convince Cal to leave the room, saying loudly they both needed a nap. That kid was smart and already so manipulative, he approved.</p><p>"This is by far the stupidest thing you've ever done, Bob'ika!" Oh, yeah, tons of kriffing trouble. Boba slouched in his seat and wondered how much trouble he'd get in if he just hit Cody back. Might as well go for the maximum trouble talk, right?</p><p>"I did it for his own good," he finally snapped while glaring at his brother. Kenobi didn't say a word, merely sat there watching them both. Boba made a face at him and got a raised eyebrow in return. </p><p>Stupid Jedi.</p><p>"You said you wanted me to talk to him," Obi-Wan finally drawled out before motioning for Cody to stop pacing. Cody sank down into the seat next to the once Jedi and glared daggers at Boba. "How exactly did you find him and then kidnap him?"</p><p>Boba squirmed slightly in his seat. He felt like a toddler again that had been caught trying to eat bugs. He was a famous bounty hunter, had people working for him, and somehow that didn't matter one bit. "He was working as a waiter…He recognized my face, but kept doing his job. He has a large bounty on his head and he gets lost in those stupid things like Vos did- I did him a favor!" </p><p>Obi-Wan stared at him for a moment before dropping his face into his hands. Cody instantly wrapped an arm across his riduur's back while giving Boba a disapproving look. </p><p>"You could be bringing the Empire down on us," his vod pointed out bluntly. Well, yeah, but he didn't really think so.</p><p>"I had to! Cal has these moments where he gets trapped in his own memories. I need Ben to talk to him, help him. He is just a kid," he started to plead his case.</p><p>"A kid you are in love with," Obi-Wan grumbled into the palm of his hands. Boba felt his cheeks go hot instantly. That wasn't- he wasn't in love. He just liked to look. Cal was attractive, he wasn't blind. When Cal laughed the very air around him lit up like starlight, rich golds and warm blues. Boba was always transfixed. When Cal fought he slashed color into everything. Each delicate and deadly move left a trail of colors only Boba could see. </p><p>"I am not," he finally blurted out. He knew the pause had been too long and Cody smirked knowingly. Kriff, he was never going to hear the end of this. </p><p>"Bob'ika," Cody said with vicious glee. "Did you finally find someone you want to spend your life with? Well, I guess that changes things. I didn't realize you idolized me so much that you also went for a red haired- oof!" Obi-Wan had elbowed him hard in the side for the dumb remark. Boba wondered if trying to eat a spork would save him from this turn in the conversation. Being lectured and yelled at was preferred to his supposed love life being talked about.</p><p>They shouldn't have come to Tatooine.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Boba is so smitten.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke threw his arms in the air, causing Cal to have to jerk his head to the side so he didn't get hit in the face. The youngling had way too much energy or just enough. He wasn't sure. The antics were distracting him enough that he wasn't crouched off to the side of the door with his lightsaber clutched in his hand.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning!!! PTSD and complicated feelings. They are some talks, some sensory overload, and just mentions of how the war messed people up. That said, there is some fluff in this well.</p><p>Also I updated tags, I believe I need to add more. This has some way more serious moments then I planned.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>His feet pounded hard against the floor while he pushed himself to go faster. Outrun, survive, get to the escape pods. He had to make it in time. The Force screamed in his mind, incoherent, and the clones seemed to grow into giants before his eyes. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>How was he supposed to make it past them? </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Their mouths were gaping maws.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Cal screamed.</i>
</p><p>“Cal,” Luke shoved a stuffed bantha at him and he grabbed the toy without a second thought. The air felt overly cold against his exposed forearms, but that could have been because he was suddenly sweating. That memory had been twisted and made him feel too much at once. Clones, the vod'e, he knew were not giants with red eyes. Why was his mind telling him otherwise? The glowing child in his lap was helping ground him. Part of him wished he didn’t have the gloves on, that he could feel the rough fibers that made up the bantha, but another part of him knew being gloveless right now was a bad idea. Falling into an echo, even a happy one, would hurt. </p><p>“And this one has a name,” he asked softly while trying his best not to cast a glance towards the doorway. Cody was out there. Commander Cody was out there. Just thinking about Cody walking through the door caused pains in his chest. </p><p>Commander Cody was not about to develop an unhinged jaw and eat him, he reminded himself.</p><p>“Noooo!” Luke kicked his feet on the bed, yanking his attention back to the moment.</p><p>“Should it have a name?” He turned the toy over in his hands and wondered who had crafted this object. Had the General? The Commander perhaps? Maybe they had just traded for it in one of the settlements or cities. </p><p>Luke threw his arms in the air, causing Cal to have to jerk his head to the side so he didn't get hit in the face. The youngling had way too much energy or just enough. He wasn't sure. The antics were distracting him enough that he wasn't crouched off to the side of the door with his lightsaber clutched in his hand. "Buu," Luke crowed.</p><p>Buu? What was buu? Was Buu a name?</p><p>"Okay, Buu it is-" BD chirped agreement and hopped up on the bed to make it easier to scan the toy. Cal almost smiled, but his lips didn't quite move right. They felt like they were pulling at scars and it annoyed him more than normal. </p><p>"Hey," Boba's voice filled the room. "Cody says sorry."</p><p>Cal tensed and ended up having to force a reassuring smile for Luke. The boy had tipped his head back to stare at him with far too expressive eyes. Concern radiated from that gaze. "It's fine, I'm the intruder," he told Boba while looking at Luke. A snort of annoyance escaped the bounty hunter. </p><p>"It isn't fine. Luke-" The next words out of Boba's mouth were far too fast for him to translate. The boy made a sound of displeasure, even looked ready to argue, but Boba said something softly. Luke's features screwed up, but he did slip off of Cal's lap. His feet barely seemed to touch the floor before he was off and running out of the room. Most likely back to his parents. Kriff, Cody and Obi-Wan were parents <i>together.</i> That was something he never thought he'd see-  Jedi in a romantic relationship with attachments. It...was nice. It was confusing. </p><p>Well, kriff. He was alone with Boba.</p><p>"Cal-" The name was said with so much emotion and then no words followed. That made his stomach drop for some reason, rather like he just fell off a scrapper platform. He was stuck staring at the plush bantha in his hands while he focused on the fact he was sitting safely on a bed. What was he supposed to say? He didn't think anything that had happened since the cantina was fine, but he also couldn't say it was all bad. The whole thing was a messy tangle of emotions that he didn't even know how to yank apart. He felt guilty for enjoying himself, he felt guilty for contemplating stealing Boba's ship- he bit his lower lip as he forced himself to calm down. Serene. A smooth pond. </p><p>Okay.</p><p>"You kidnapped me," he said softly. He paused and waited a beat to see if Boba was going to interrupt, but when the bounty hunter made no effort he continued. "And then you just acted like we were always a team or something. I was waiting for my time, my moment, to break away. I have a crew, Boba. I have people waiting on me, but you brought me here. You brought me to the most painful place in the galaxy!" Cal twisted on the bed, clutching the toy in his hands like a lifeline, and faced Boba fully. "Do you know what it is like to lose everyone? To think you are the last one- you just slapped me in a home with one of the greatest Jedi of all time and…"</p><p>Silence engulfed them. His hands began to shake, jostling the bantha. His gaze jerked down to the toy and he couldn't quite seem to stop the tremors. Suddenly hands were wrapping around his shaking ones. </p><p>Why did Boba seem to care so much? </p><p>Why?</p><p>"Cal," Boba said while crouching down, hands squeezing reassuringly. "I don't fully get it, but I have my own version. I brought you here because Kenobi can help patch up the wounds inside your mind." Cal tensed at that phrasing, but Boba was calmly marching forward. "Cody, Kenobi, you, and me- we were all karked up a war none of us wanted. I should have warned you, but- look, I wouldn't do it differently. I saw you in that cantina and knew you'd get yourself in trouble. We are both children of war, and those two old folks out there? They are just as shaped by it. I know you have people, other survivors I'm guessing, and you can call them, but they can't come here. We can't-"</p><p>"We can't risk bringing the Empire here," Cal interrupted. "They'd take Luke." </p><p>A faint sound of agreement mixed up with regret left Boba. Those hands shifted, lacing their fingers together, and Cal let him. His heart started to race again, but not in that way that herald getting lost in memories with strange additions. He wasn't misremembering exactly, but the memories were clearly exaggerated like a holodrama or a story retold for the fifth time. </p><p>"Why," he finally asked. "Why are you trying to help me? Why'd you kidnap me? Why'd-" Words went dry in his mouth as he found himself staring into eyes that seemed to bubble with emotion. He could fall into that abyss if he wasn't careful. </p><p>"I had a feeling," Boba said with a rakish smirk and Cal was positive his heart skipped a beat.</p><p>"That is a horrible reason," he deadpanned. Boba burst out laughing before pressing their foreheads together. </p><p>"But the only one I needed."</p><p>Cal felt exhausted and leaned into Boba. The toy somehow vanished from his hands and he found himself just sitting there without wanting to move. </p><p>"I'll call the Mantis tomorrow." Boba nodded in agreement, their noses brushing at the action. "But I don't know if I can be around Cody without-"</p><p>"I'll be by your side. Just listen to my vod's story. Please, I know I don't have right to ask things of you, but this means a lot to me." The sincerity in the bounty hunter's tone had Cal sighing. He could give it a go, try. Trying to listen wouldn't hurt. Plus, he reasoned, Cody was raising Luke and Luke was clearly flourishing. Cody couldn't be all that bad.</p><p>"I'm still annoyed that you kidnapped me," he pointed out stubbornly. </p><p>"I wouldn't have it any other way," Boba said while smiling.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Boba is gone 100% and Cal is confused. This is all so new.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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